'Good Times' star dies aged 84

John Amos, the actor best known for his role on the sitcom “Good Times,” has died. He was 84.

According to his son KC Amos, Amos died of natural causes on August 21 in Los Angeles.

“It is with deep sadness that I inform you that my father has transitioned,” KC, 53, said in a statement. “He was a man with the kindest heart and a heart of gold… and he was loved around the world. Many fans consider him their TV dad.”

“He lived a good life,” Kelly continued. “His legacy will live on in his outstanding achievements as an actor on television and film.”

Amos was born on December 27, 1939 in Newark, New Jersey. He attended East Orange High School and graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in sociology.

Before his acting career, Amos was a soccer player. He signed a free agent contract with the Denver Broncos in 1964, but was released on the second day of training camp after suffering a hamstring injury.

He later signed a free agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1976, but also didn't make it past training camp.

Amos made his acting debut in 1970 in an episode of The Bill Cosby Show.

That same year, he was cast as weatherman Gordon “Gordy” Howard on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” From 1970 to 1977 he appeared in 13 episodes of the sitcom.

Amos' most famous role was as James Evans Sr. in Good Times. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by Norman Lear, the CBS series was a spinoff of “Maude,” which was in turn a spinoff of “All in the Family.”

“Good Times” centers on an African-American family living in an apartment in Chicago.

Esther Rolle played the lead role of James' wife Florida Evans, while Ralph Carter, Bern Nadette Stanis and Jimmie Walker played the Evans children. Jan'Net Dubois also played Florida's best friend Willona Woods.

Janet Jackson joined the cast in the show's sixth and final season.

Amos only appeared on Good Times for the first three seasons, as his character dies in a car accident.

He was reportedly fired from the series because of issues with the script's portrayal of African-Americans.

In a 2017 interview, Amos said, “When the show started, we didn't have any African-American writers on the show, and some of the takes that they had written applied to my character and, frankly, some of the other characters as well , made me say… “We can't do this, we can't do that.” And they said, “What do you mean we can't do that?” “

“They would keep talking about their credits…. and I looked at every single one of them and said, “Well, how long have you been black?” That just doesn't happen in the community. We don't think like that. We don't behave like that. “We won’t let our children do that,” he added.

After “Good Times,” Amos appeared in the 1977 miniseries “Roots,” which earned him an Emmy nomination.

He went on to have roles in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, In the House, The West Wing, All About the Andersons, Men in Trees and The Ranch.

Amos also appeared in various films such as The Beastmaster, Lock Up, Die Hard 2, Coming to America and Coming 2 America.

His most recent acting project was the 2023 British drama film “The Last Rifleman.”

Amos was married to his first wife, Noel Mickelson, from 1965 to 1975. They had two children, son KC and daughter Shannon, 58.

From 1978 to 1979 his second marriage was to actress Lillian Lehman.

In June 2023, Shannon claimed her father was the victim of “elder abuse” at the hands of an unnamed “caregiver.”

“The cruelty inflicted on my father makes me wonder what kind of person could commit such acts,” she wrote on a now-deleted GoFundMe page she started.

Amos later accused Shannon of elder abuse in July 2023, resulting in the death of a representative of Shannon.

In December 2023, Amos told PEOPLE that he has “an acrimonious relationship” with his daughter.

“It's a little acrimonious at the moment, but no matter what you might read or hear in the newspaper or on that medium or that media platform. Suffice it to say we are still a family and we love each other and that is the bottom line,” he said.